Memories of Feathers
by Sahana K
Summary: From Escaflowne the movie. What if there were four wing goddesses?


Memories of feathers Chapter 1: Destiny  
  
Alexandra watched quietly as only two feet away a single pure white feather fell to the ground. Curious she let go of her mothers' hand and walked towards it. She was only eight years old back then and most of the people walking through the complex mall towered over her. She wasn't supposed to run off on her own, but the feather had caught her attention. No one seemed to notice her walking towards the feather and even in the huge crowded mall it seemed like as if the noise of the people had totally disappeared. It was so quiet that Alexandra was sure that she could have heard a pin drop. Finally after circling around some people that seemed to be standing motionless she came to the feather and picked it up. It was a long feather that seemed to shine in her hand. It was white as snow. " Hello," someone said. Looking up Alexandra found the source of the voice to be a boy clad in strange robes and a wild head of light blue hair. " Who are you," asked Alexandra. " I am Dune," was all the boy said. Alexandra smiled at the boy, but then remembering the feather, she held it out to him in her cupped hands. " Is this you're feather," she asked. He smiled at her. " When the time comes bring me this feather," He said. Alexandra looked at him quizzically as she tried to understand what he meant. For an eight years old girl it was kind of hard to grasp some concepts. " You mean we're going to meet again," she asked uncertainly. The boy merely nodded and then without missing a beat the world seemed to start again before Alexandra's' eyes and the boy disappeared leaving no trace except for the feather that Alexandra still held in her hand. " Alexandra," called her mothers angry voice thundering over the once again noisy mall. In a desperate attempt to keep the feather, Alexandra hid it behind her ear covering it up with her already long blond hair. "Alexandra, I told you never to run off without me. You could have been hurt or even kidnapped," her mother went on into lecturing her about safety and how she could have had this happen to her or that. Alexandra wasn't listening though. In her mind she promised to herself that she would bring the feather back to the strange boy no matter what.  
  
" Alex, pay attention," came an angry voice snapping Alexandra out of her daydreams. Damn! And that is one of my more favorite daydreams thought Alex sleepily looking up at the chalkboard the teacher was proceeding to write French on. As a beginner in French Alex felt like an idiot as she copied down word for word what was written on the chalkboard without even knowing what she was writing. French was the dullest class Alex had and the teacher hated her making the class a living hell for Alex. Oh well at least it's the end of the day after this, thought Alex trying to make a small effort to cheer herself up. Looking around at the classroom, Alex saw most of the kids still writing a few were looking around passing notes while the teacher kept writing on the chalkboard. Alexandra sat there in the class thinking on her dream. Not a dream she corrected herself feeling the feather that was hidden behind her ear. She had stared at the feather so many times after her encounter with the boy. Dune she remembered easily. The events of that day had stuck in her head unlike most of the memories from her childhood that she had forgotten. Alexandra forced herself to return to the present and concentrate on French, but even then she kept looking up at the clock watching as the small red hand went around in circles following only its set course. That's kind of how I feel thought Alex sadly as she watched, like as if my destiny has already been set, but it's moving in slow motion. So will I reach my destiny in time? The thoughts hung in the air of the small windowless room of the classroom. Don't get poetic on me know, thought Alex at herself breaking away from the thought.  
  
Just then the bell rang announcing the end of the day. Alex along with everyone else in the classroom made a run for the open door. Outside the hallway was crowded with teenagers. Mostly ninth graders like Alex trying to make it to their lockers. The halls were filled with people. Alex cut a straight line to her locker not bothering to look back as her best friend came up to her yelling her name. " I don't have time for small talk so say what you want and go away," said Alex. The harshness of her voice came back to slap her in the face as she saw the sorrow in her friends eyes. " I'm sorry, Carla. I know I promised to go with you to the mall and I will. Just wait for me outside at the main doors," said Alex cursing herself the entire time wishing she hadn't given in to Carla's sad face. Now she would spend nearly two hours at the mall with Carla. Not that Alexandra hated her best friend, but sometimes she could get on her nerves. Alexandra would rather stay at home and stare at the beautiful white feather that she had taken everywhere with her since she had gotten it. She always hid it behind her right ear covering it with her long waist length blond hair. Alexandra was a tall 5'8 with very pale skin and stormy blue eyes that sometimes changed color drastically due to the weather. At the moment she wore her school uniform of a horrible slime green color that was easy to see. Alexandra would most certainly change before leaving the school building saving herself the embarrassment of walking in it.  
  
Meeting Carla outside after changing, they walked the entire way to the huge mall downtown. Alexandra walked quietly ignoring Carla's endless chatter. She pulled the feather from behind her ear and looked at it. It looked almost silver in the late afternoon sunlight. " You're thinking of him again aren't you," said Carla walking backwards to face Alex. Her fire red hair stuck out at different angles in the ponytail she had put it in. Carla's big emerald eyes studied Alexandra behind a freckled face. " Yeah, I guess I am thinking about him," said Alex as she walked around Carla and began to run. She pushed the feather back behind her ear as she looked back to where Carla stood. " Hey! Slow poke hurry up," said Alex jokingly giggling as she ran. She tried to push the light blue haired boys memory back for a while. Enjoy the day, she thought to herself.  
  
Three hours later Carla and Alex were walking home with bags filled with clothes and other goodies weighing them down. They finally made it to Alexandra's house. " I'll see ya tomorrow," said Carla walking on to her home three blocks away. Alex shoved open the front door to her house and found that it smelled of burnt food. " Alex, is that you," came a cry from the kitchen. Alex dropped her bags and walked to the kitchen to find her mother trying to use the stove again and then looked at the cherry pie that was charcoal black sitting on the counter. " I think I'll fix dinner," said Alex raising an eyebrow at the black lump that her mother was now proceeding to get out of the oven.  
  
It was Friday today so Alexandra had no worries about school. She sat there in her room and stared at the feather. It was still light outside. Maybe I'll take a walk, thought Alex as she stepped out of her room and nearly ran into her mother. " I'll be outside," she said and ran past her mother. It was a nice day today and the sun was still pretty high in the sky. Following the path towards the forest, Alex walked under the high trees that towered over her head. The trees blocked out the glaring sunlight and it was cooler in their shade. Alex kept walking, but as she walked she was sure she heard someone singing. Straining her ears she made out some of the words.  
  
Win dain a lotica En vai tu ri Si lo ta  
  
Alexandra stood there trying to hear the song, but it seemed to fade out. Who, she wondered. Run, someone told her, run away. Follow me and I will lead you, Wing Goddess of Jevon. That voice sounds so familiar, thought Alexandra as she stood there in the middle of the forest. Suddenly another image came to Alex's mind. " Stay out of my way Carla," a younger Alex said as she lashed out at the girl, " don't follow me." Suddenly Alex was back in the forest and there standing before her was a man in a long black cloak. He had the hood of the cloak up to cover his face. " Do you wish to come with me? To forget your sorrows. I am Raven the last of the time splitters. Come wing Goddess, come and face your destiny," he hissed. The world seemed to tear apart around Alex and as she watched it seemed almost like as if time was moving forward the light from the sun turned into darkness and the forest that Alex had been standing on was now nothing but darkness.  
  
She passed out and dreamed. She dreamed that she was in a world where the earth and the moon hung in the sky and with it she saw three other girls. Who are you, she tried to say, but nothing seemed to come out of her mouth. That was when everything went dark and Alex didn't remember or think anything.  
  
Time passed and Alexandra woke to hear a quiet song that seemed to come from the wind itself. Ok, she thought as she remembered the dream she had, I'm at home. I probably just had a nightmare and I'm in my bed and the reason there is a breeze is because I left the window open. Alexandra cautiously opened her eyes and found she was lying in a forest. Oh great and now I passed out in the middle of a forest, thought Alex trying to make the grim situation she was in humorous.  
  
Alexandra stood up and surveyed her surroundings. It looked normal enough, but the problem Alex saw was the fact that she could no longer see the trail she had used earlier. Did I manage to get lost in a forest, she asked herself as a slow feeling of panic crept over her. This forest could be huge for all she knew. Alex walked around a little trying to find some path or some sign of humanity, but found nothing. She decided to walk with the sun to her back. Noting with some worry that the sun was already starting to go down. Maybe I just fell asleep for a few minutes, she reassured herself.  
  
The sun was below the horizon by the time she made it to a small clearing. The grass was filled with wild flowers where she had stopped and the scenery of the clearing gave of a feeling of tranquility. She began to run up a tall hill hoping that she would find some way back home, but stopped in her tracks at the top of the hill. There in the sky above the moon hung and beside it was the earth just barely visible. " It wasn't a dream. was it," Alex asked not really thinking anyone would answer so she was a bit startled when someone answered. " No it is not a dream, Wing Goddess," Alex looked up to see the man in the black cloak. " Who in the world are you," she asked taking a few steps back. " I am Raven, the time splitter," he said. " Oh like as if I understand that," said Alex sarcastically rolling her eyes. " I didn't expect you to understand. After all you aren't from this world," he said. He sounded more like as if he was talking to a very ignorant child making Alex angry. " Tell me where I am," she snapped at him. " You are on Gaia the world torn by war and sorrow. You were destined to come here for you are the wing goddess of Jevon. The one who will call upon one of the legendary dragon armors of the past," he said.  
  
" Why me," Alexandra asked as calmly as she could. " The feather," he whispered and smiled at her from behind the cloak as he disappeared. " Wait," cried Alex as he faded from view. " Keep walking, wing goddess. You are one of the four chosen that will either destroy the world or save it. Yes you will save it. even if you destroy it." The clearing was silent now except for the wind blowing through the grass. The sky was a light violet with only the faintest trace to tell that the sun had been out just moments ago. Alex walked forward through the clearing the sun still at her back. although there was no sun to really go by, but she knew she was going the right direction by keeping the moon and the earth to her right.  
  
She walked for hours though the almost endless clearing. It was easy to walk from the light given off by the moon. She didn't remember how long she walked but it was a surprise when she came upon a village. It was a quiet village with only a few torches that were still lit. Alexandra walked through the entrance not knowing what to really expect. She was surprised when someone bumped into her. She clamped a hand over her mouth to keep from screaming as she saw the person she had run into. He would have been normal enough if not for the fact that he looked like a werewolf. He had dark brown fur with amber eyes and wore a long white robe. His hands were clawed and Alex noted wearily that he had fangs. " Are you alright," he asked her. She stood there and just tried to take in the concept of a village full of werewolf's. She just stood there for a second not really doing anything, but staring. Who wouldn't, she wondered. Ah! How nice to know that I still have my sense of humor around to save me, she thought. " Um. S-sir could you tell me where I am.Please," she added bowing to him. " This is know as Aronth village," he said," where are you from." " Uhhh. I'm from far away. I think I'm really far from home," she said. " Come with me you can come and meet our leader," he said and with that he walked to the north of town. Alex walked after him trying hard to keep up with his long strides. He pushed open a wood door that lead into a small room with a group of people around a fire. At the head of the fire an old man was seemingly telling a story.  
  
"-And so our people were given a new life. The wing goddess saved our lives but in doing so she had to kill the other wing goddess for their souls had been tainted with darkness. Only one of the wing goddess was given the chance to survive for she was given the chose of whether to fight on evils side or the good side. Last night the mystic moon shined over the world of Gaia and so the four wing goddess have descended. Am I not right Wing goddess of Jevon," The old man asked turning to Alex as she stood in the doorway. " How." she asked quietly as every pair of eyes in the room turned to look at her. " I know many things child," said the old man walking towards her," I know that lord Raven has already contacted you and so has lord Folken it seems. Tell me child do you know the legend of the war of the dragons," he asked. Alexandra shook her head. " Then let me tell you a story. The story of the four girls that were teleported here from the mystic moon. The gods wanted these girls to save the world. The four girls were teleported to different areas of Gaia. It was during this time that a war had been going on and the two kings born in the dragon clan fought against each other. What the gods had not predicted was that some of the girls would choose to fight on the evil side. So the fight was actually made against the wing goddess's," said the elder pausing. " Why? Why did some of the wing goddess's choose to fight on the evil side," asked Alex. " They fell in love." Alexandra was not seeing how that could happen. If these people were as evil as the elder was saying then there was no reason to fall in love with them. " You do not understand yet. you are young still," said the elder patiently. " So tell me what happened to the last wing goddess," asked Alex. " She was trapped on Gaia. She was to watch over the world. She later on fell in love with the king who fought on the side of good and ruled with him. That is the end of my story," said the elder," Stahn, take the wing goddess to one of the guest huts and let her rest."  
  
The werewolf man that Alex had run into before now stood up from a spot around the fire. They walked out and the werewolf named Stahn led her to a small deserted hut. He lit two of the candles inside the hut before departing quietly. Alex sat in the hut. The elder man hadn't been able to tell her much. How did the battle start? Who all fought in it? And the most important Question, why where the wing goddess's being called back to Gaia? I'll ask the old man tomorrow, thought Alexandra as she slowly fell asleep on the wood ground. 


End file.
